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Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) has maintained a big role in his backfield despite rumors stretching back to two offseasons ago that fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs would completely take over the running back work. Such rumors are popular in the fantasy football community much more often than they are true.
He's scored six rushing touchdowns on the season and has games of 17 and 23 carries, so he is not being phased out. In fact, Detroit is maintaining a roughly 50-50 split in their backfield, which is completely reasonable. Both backs are excellent players with different strengths and weaknesses.
Unfortunately, he was pulled from the game briefly in Week 7 before returning to finish the game. So is Montgomery hurt or healthy now, and will he play in Week 8?
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David Montgomery Injury Update for Fantasy Football
According to Lions coach Dan Campbell, "Monty" suffered a contusion after he was hit in the back of the knee while being tackled on a run in Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings. He had to be helped off the field but surprisingly ended up returning to and finishing the game.
David Montgomery #lions
Injured on this play. Too many bodies in the way to see much but he needed help walking off the field. Hope it’s not too bad pic.twitter.com/EnGcYPpcOn
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) October 20, 2024
He finished with just nine carries and 12 total touches, which was a season-low. Gibbs was much more involved in the offense than usual after No. 5's injury. It's possible they were just being cautious with him. That's a luxury Detroit has, considering both of their RBs could start for many teams and be highly productive.
David Montgomery helped off the field with a leg injury.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 20, 2024
Campbell indicated that he's likely fine, and the team is not concerned with anything long-term. This is great news for fantasy managers. Though it doesn't shed light on his potential status for Week 8, it does bode well for his fantasy outlook rest-of-season. There aren't any major indications that he'll miss Week 8 yet, but it's important to stay updated!
Dan Campbell said there is no long-term injury concern with Lions RB David Montgomery.
He took a knee to the back of a knee, and it looks like a bruise. Campbell said that’s good news. pic.twitter.com/gyEuvBX1Z9
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 21, 2024
David Montgomery Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 8
He's a must-start if he does play in Week 8, but given that we don't know the extent of his injury or whether the team will exercise extreme caution, fantasy managers should temper expectations a bit. He profiles as a boom-or-bust player for one big reason, but it hasn't been much of an issue yet.
Tom Brady breaking down David Montgomery touchdown #OnePride pic.twitter.com/sQBNvE5ka8
— Anthony (@anthonyjc92) October 13, 2024
Much of the former Chicago Bear's fantasy value comes from touchdowns. The Lions have been a fantastic offense, consistently getting to the red zone and converting touchdowns at a high rate (12th in the league this year). Montgomery has been the primary beneficiary with his six rushing touchdowns.
His Week 7 was an uncharacteristically bad game for him, but he was facing one of the toughest defenses in the league in the Minnesota Vikings, and he should bounce back. His nine-carry, 31-yard, zero-touchdown performance with one lost fumble is an outlier and should be ignored. Lock him back into your starting lineups when he returns.
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